SAO: Fatal Bullet - A Gamer's Creed
by MallusYaeger
Summary: The Death Game took his beloved sister; he now holds the Instrument that bound her to the Virtual World and yet he uses the device that Imprisoned her to live as she once did Inside Sword Art Online, what will our Protagonist meet Inside the confines of GGO? Will he find answers unexpectedly or will his Death come as swift as a bullet?
1. Prologue: Promises Must Be Kept

As I awoke rather suddenly, frenzied and In a panic; my senses nulled In the sense of a void and my mind left reeling and utterly disoriented. It took me a few moments to regain my composure and to ultimately yield my already escalating heart-rate and ragged breaths, my one eye of cerelean-blue darted and flickered Incessantly around my small, acquainted room; beads of cold sweat were already collected on my upper back and forehead. Heh, even now I could feel the sudden chill envelop my skin to a cold and for my hairs to stand on end.

It was then that I sat up with reluctance and brought a thinly lithe hand to my forehead; my touch while delicate was shaking nevertheless as I murmured ever so softly

"Gods. Not another nightmare"

My countenance contorted without restraint; It was no matter, the dark of the room shielded me from any and all misjudgements and prying eyes, so was the benefits of the sanctuary that was my room. My gaze fell upon the rightmost desk closest to my nightstand; the trifecta desktop monitor had cast a low sheen of gray as the programs that rendered and were left Idle on It's systems and respective windows that were also opened as well; but one name was marked prominently on-screen In a manner where I'd have to squint as my vision had not quite adjusted to the darkness.

 _'ZASKAR'_

To any eyes that would be upon at this moment had any been there to visualize me then my remaining eye would've seemingly twinkled In rememberance and nostalgia; Intoxicating as It may have been

 _Flashback Start_

 _Friday, June 21st, 2024_

"O-Oi! What gives Cade? Why not try something a little bit different for a change? It's very well just like any MMO or RPG you've played at this point!"

"I think you failed to mention the label of VR being added to the terms MMO and RPG. Quite the volatile mix, no?"

I say with a no small amount of exasperation evident, a pale hand reached to pinch the bridge of my nose; my form falling slack and leaned back In my desk-chair. 'By all the Gods, this woman'll be the death of me someday I jus' know It'

"Arrrggghhhhh! How long are you trying to hold off on the Idea of playing any VR games? SAO Is a thing of the past now ya' know"

My breath hitched as my voice of response; the reasoning I had held that had left my being. It's disappearance was ultimately too unkind to let my demeanor shift noticably. She didn't know; no matter how much It pained me to hear her words of Indifference; of that teenaged naiveté that left her diaphragm, the assaults to my damaged mind and psyche; like a jackhammer repeatedly bent on breaking me down over and over.

"I . . know that much. Really, I do. It's jus' really hard to get behind the helm of that sort of thing, ya' know after everything that happened to the survivors of SAO."

'From a logical standpoint, she's more than right; after the death game was cleared - No, rather beforehand, _Argus_ , the company who developed and distributed the _Nerve_ _Gear_ went bankrupt and most to all of operable _Nerve Gear_ were confiscated by order of the Japanese Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 121; the fallout from the SAO Incident was groundbreaking and tragic; that much was unprecedented In It's severity as It was felt all throughout the VR and respective gaming Industries at the time but most If not all developers and players have discarded the worries and supposed falsehoods associated with VR games

My eye flickered to the dormant helm that rested perpedicular to my bed; It's dark and navy hue adorned with singe marks and marred metal; It's frame bulky yet once was sleek to the touch. It's trifecta of bold lettering long since faded from soot and embers

"Why do I still even own you . . ? Even after you took her from me . ."

My Idle whispers were heavy with uncertainty, anger and spite; the Irony was heavy and held deep In my train of thought as all this emotion was only directed at a piece of machinery that was once hailed as an engineering marvel, but now a failed prison that once shackled my sister to a seesaw of fate,tragic as It was for she lost her fight.

"Look lass; I'll see what I can do to get the hardware and maintain It, not to mention the AmuSphere to boot, honestly I've no Idea how you got your hands on one of those things."

For a moment I thought I had spoken out of line; my current demeanor overall held a bite to It I felt would easily snap at anyone present, but I grew patient as I heard a lengthy sigh on the other end

"You're not entirely wrong there, parents got It for my sister originally as a congratulations gift for her being top-tier for last year's regional kendo tournament; she doesn't care much for VR and my parents are still on the fence of It as well so she second-hand gifted It to me along with the money for a new game for It. I guess she knew our parents wouldn't gift me otherwise . ."

Never have I wanted to slam my head so hard In my short and bittersweet 19 years of life; I completely acted out of turn and Insensitivity, she's always lived In her sister's shadow as Inferior and less of a genius the eldest was; her parents less than motivating and more devout to the latter child; It pained me to hear such news from my childhood friend

"I promise to see you again In the virtual world, okay? I jus' need to subtract the funds from my savings and pick up the hardware; and don't worry It's nothing some work around the neighborhood or part-time slaving can't help replace" I say the last with no small amount with mirth and playful sarcasm, luckily even she didn't pivk up so because she responded with a seemingly visible rise In her mood and an octave higher

"Mhm! Mhm! Now there's the Vik I've come to know, always so headstrong and conveniently compassionate! Now I know you received the spare GGO cartridge I had, It already comes with a complimentary 3-month membership; all you need Is your awaiting AmuSphere! Oh! And should you happen to be able to dive In tomorrow, my Avatar name will be Kureha; got It? We can't use our names IRL" She fired back with feigned Innocence but noticeable excitement nevertheless 

"Mhm, well alrighty' then, I'm gonna' get some shut-eye for tomorrow so I can go and grab the gear, goodnight "Kureha-chan"

"Ehhhhh?!-" I hung up In her mid-response to let her squirm a bit and smirk casually at my small tease at her; she always does the same anyhow tenfold.

My eyelids started to grow heavy as my vision blurred and deteriorated, my body eventually succumbing to the physical exhaustion that weighed heavy on my body; my mind lingering on a thought that was unanswered as my mind gave Into the clutches of rest

"Yuri . . What do I do?"

Authors Note: Many things as Ideas came to mind and were explored very vaguely In this prologue of the story; now further chapters may remain sparse and ultimately not as long as to many of your likings as my schedule Is unorthodox, but essentially, this Is my sort of Introduction of my character. Any and all feedback and/or constructive critcism would be greatly appreciated, Til' next time lads

-Mallus


	2. Calm Before The Storm

_Disclaimer: I do not claim to own such figures or characters and/or products of Ideal that belong to Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, etc., etc. My ownership only pertains to the OC's described such In this story such as Viktor._

 ** _Sunday, June 23rd, 2024_**

 ** _Fujimo, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_**

My awakening, thankfully, this time around was much less eventful; but alas my eyelids remained ever-so-heavy and my mind maintained a constant haze over my senses, my normally lithe figure felt as If It was coated In lead as I brought a pale and calloused hand to rub the drowsiness from my eyes, after a brief moment of respite, I roused myself enough to raise myself and my legs Into a sitting position; a grunt of assent arising from my parched throat, my eyes had then wandered back to my desktop; the monitor shone a low and blue hue of white as It was In It's Idle Sleep Mode and surely enough; my printed cartridge of _Gun_ _Gale Online_ had now been fully synced to my _Nerve Gear_ helm; the _ZASKAR_ Insignia emblazened prominently on-screen; a condensed window held In the top-right corner of the trifecta of monitors had finished Its renders and completed embedding Its various fail-safe protocols.

Ever since I had made my own extensive research Into the various aspects of _Gun Gale Online_ , be It It's gameplay; connectivity of local and abroad servers and the skills and aptitudes of the overall player base of Japan and, of course, the Americans. I knew that as of now that even my obtained Skills and transferable Stats from ALO and various other VR games weren't up to par and suited properly for the run-and-gun play-style that Is GGO; a grim realization no doubt, but I knew I'd die sooner then even finishing the very first day of mob grinding and soloing If I were to leave the _Nerve Gear's _stock programming and protocols embedded.

'I wouldn't do to go out as a greenhorn this time around, I'll never hear the end of It If Yuri sees me In Other World'

A slight chuckle of mirth-filled humor escaped my chapped lips, dry as they were as I licked them subconsciously; further arising to freshen up and take care of necessities before I dove on Into Gun Gale; my bathroom was much thankfully adjacent to my bedroom as that would excuse my lack of dress If I were step outside.

'Oh, the look mother would give me If she saw me like this . . '

Those thoughts were quickly scrubbed subsequently purged from my mind as I entered Into my room of rest and brushed my teeth and took care of other hygiene, my thoughts remained Idle as they continually wandered to my subsequent preparations for my Full-Dive even as I stepped Into my stand-up shower In the suit I was born with; the scars and trauma worn on my upper and lower back pulsed and ebbed as If my blood still drained from my form; my eye twitched In quick succession due to my nerves running rampant, neurons alight In response to the Incident that bore me this untimely physical trauma.

"Only 11 years huh? Damnedest Insurgents . ." I croaked aloud as my voice wavered even as the water, warm as It was, rained and pooled over my platinum-blonde hair; It's normally unruly and spiky stature now matted down and flowed downwards with free felling water around my form, certain odd locks of my hair had long since grayed and faded to a shade of metallic silver, It's hue lifeless as my one good eye readjusted to the steam and heat of the water, burning yet ever so soothing. My thoughts were Interrupted by a curt rapping on my bedroom door, my head whipping to the side quickly

'Mother'

"Moy syn? Vy yeshche prosnulis'? Vas zavtrak gotov!" Was heard In our native tongue: Russian; her accent much evident In her voice, overbearing as It was, that seemingly commanded your upmost attention and respect dutifully; her Imposing figure can almost be made out even from mere vocals alone

'Man, If I didn't know any better, I'd say Mother's up there being scary . .'

I thought wryly, a smirk evident on my countenance; my body betraying my scared thoughts that she'd be angrier than usual. She's normally already on her way to work by now but I guess she decided to make me breakfast and wake me today

"V dushe! YA skoro uydu!" I yelled back In our native tongue, further In exasperation over the sound of running water and the duo of doors seperating us; I had took her silence that she heard my response because she didn't speak yet again. I summarily turned the water off as I breathed a lengthy exhale over the steam the permeated the once cool air, my body soon dried and covered with a supplied towel; I unlocked and opened the bathroom door to find that thankfully my bedroom door had been unopened and that my belongings were not rearranged or mishappen, I then released a breath that I didn't know that I held within as the Implications of her finding the _Nerve_ _Gear_ In my possession can only end poorly for me

'Thank Kami for the respect of privacy . . '

I thanked silently to no one In particular, I had then already donned a new set of clothing as most of my thoughts had kept myself pre-occupied and on autopilot as I had thrown on a set of bootcut jeans that were ripped from the Inner thigh to below the knees as they were form-fitting as well as a navy blue v-necked shirt that hung loosely against my torso; autumn had cooled the morning atmosphere as they're was a slight nip In the air, but that was no matter as Volgograd had harsh enough winters and made Japan's cold pale In comparison. Such Idle thoughts were pushed away as I opened my bedroom door out and Into my humble abode, descending down adjacent flight of stairs and Into the common area and connected dining area, my senses alight with the smell of sugar and cinnamon permeating the air

'Guess Mother was In a brighter mood than I thought'

I thought fondly as my eye had widened and softened at the sight of the brunch prepared

"Seriously? A monté cristo along with french toast doused with syrup and rasberry jam? She hasn't made this In awhile . . Wonder who made her happy'

I mumbled aloud full well knowing she'd already be well on her way to work, as Father had been hard at work elsewhere and was hardly ever home to begin with

'With how much they make him work to the bone, I'm starting believe that overworking yourself might be a more plausible way to die In this country than I originally thought, at least they're were a sense of comaderie In Russia from what Father's told me'

"Just because he's different and a Russo-Japanese citizen now . . I swear people will never outgrow their own stupidity"

I growled begrudgingly as I ate my meticolously made brunch, the sweetness of maple and the tartness of marmalade now with a taste ever so bittersweet, my thoughts quickly turned flavor to ash as I remembered with quaint suprise, my thoughts blank and null

"Oh. I forgot to say 'Thanks' Itadakimasu"

I murmured quietly, forgetting that the way of giving grace Is more emphasized to God or 'Kami' here

'The Japanese carry odd traditions sometimes'

I thought Idly as I brought my dish and silverware to the sink opposite to my seated position, and as the water caressed my digits and cooled my touch with soap as I scrubbed said tableware; my thoughts had wandered to my hands to show an afterimage of hands In the hands of a foreign _Avatar_ , gloved hands that smelled of worn leather that flexed soundly, hands meant for combating Imhuman foes and grueling quests of renown that led to more violence, the Image had faded as quick as they mirrored my own IRL, my hands quivering ever so slightly as my fingers were alight as my nerves burned as If they were encased In hot Iron

'Damn It all! These are getting more frequent'

I thought somberly and lowered my head In sorrow and defeat as I turned the now, very much water as I put the dishware In their appropriate cupboards and drawer, the lower half of my upper body had drone on auto-pilot up the neighboring stairs besides the living room/area and darted through my door to my workspace desk area, my fingers quickly drawn to encompass over my _Nerve Gear _helm and rest It gently on my made bedsheets, my eye focused on bringing up the _Zaska_ _r_ and the customary fail-safe programs that will run In tandem to compliment my Full-Dive, by then ensuring the machinery and broadband cables were not In defective state and Irreperable fashion as my form had sat on my bed and swiveled over my long and thin legs onto my bed and to make sure my head would be elevated slightly comfortably, my eye then scrutinizing the helm silently, seeminly probing the hardware for any visible damage and wear, the once-mechanical prison not offering any nicks or alarming Issues, I placed said _Gear_ on my temple and fit In snug and comfortably as the tinted visor's HUD had shone prominately the date, time and so on and so forth as I uttered the verbal commands that had first catapulted me down this metaphorical rabbit hole of event, that In future events, had was the beginning of so much

"Link Start!"

As a tunnel of a exorbitant amount of pillars of light particles amd multi-hued colors had encompassed In front and In the far edges of my peripheral field of vision, the null void of my right eye and It's darkness that once filled the said defunct side of my eyesight previously had now lifted, the feeling of new stimuli overloading and exciting myself subconciously, the light had now reached an all-time crescendo as the light had swallowed my form In It's radiance

 ** _"Kinesthetic Sensory Data Confirmed!"_**

 ** _"Visual Sensory Data_**

 ** _Corrupted...Optimizing Pre-Existing Sensory Data...Confirmed!"_**

 ** _"Auditory Sensory Data Confirmed!"_**

 ** _"Please Confirm Language"_**

My HUD had displayed the trifecta of Implemented languages that had been shown as pop-ups were _**Russian** , _**_Japanese_** and **_English_** respectively, my hand wavered over each option as I had known either or quite well understandibly but focused on **_Japanese_** as that was the langauge of obviously most players In my region of nation of play

'After all, the HUD In most VRMMO's automatically translates any given method of speech given verbally, so I can always respond In either language . . But that doesn't mean they can read and Interpret my Menu and/or Stats . . Interesting how that works, especially aince not many can speak my native tongue'

My hand had then wavered and pressed the first of options systematically as the lettering changed from the In-built Kanji of Japanese to Russian Implemented Cyrilic and then to further display and project a phonetic keyboard of holographic design as It asked me of my log-In data as I entered In my credentials and following password lf phrase and It had then emblazened In front of my view that stretched horizontally In titanic fashion

" ** _Welcome To Gun Gale Online!"_**

 _AN: Authors Note= This delay has gone on over In unfortunate delay as this much was not Intentional and planned so poorly for such a short chapter and seemingly miniscule development, but small bits of emotions and of course verbal If not mental commentary can of course tell a pattern of thought as you start to paint a picture and my dear Viktor will be a wonderful muse no doubt, anywhoo'; any comments or constructive criticism concerning my presentation and/or story-telling Is always a welcome notion for amateur writers like myself. Thank you for taking the time to read such and til' next we meet!_


	3. A World Of Guns

_Disclaimer: I do not claim to own such figures or characters and/or products of Ideal that belong to Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, etc., etc. My ownership only pertains to the OC's described such In this story such as Viktor_

 **Sunday, June 23rd, 2024**

 **SBC Glocken, GGO**

The first thing I felt washed over me, my senses riding the waves of nausea as the very world Itself materialized around me from the white-blue motes of light that faded from all around, the previous dark corners that obscured my vision, a sensory handicap no longer. It had taken me a few moments for me to properly stand firm and right myself, a plethora of dark tones of color came to light In the smog and seemingly endless amount of dismal air about that lingered above the neighboring spires that stood to reach the heavens and the dark underbelly of the Glocken that hung below, a sure staple or underscore for this dystopian city no doubt. With my not-so-fond reverie of the mangy cityscape broken, I knew I stood to gain for some quick experimentation as I awaited for Kureha's arrival whom she, unsurpisingly, forgot to mention a specific place to meet or appearance to be on the look-out for. I then took a few minutes to experiment with the range of motion In my virtual limbs, as I did numerous dynamic stretches and motions all around, the subtle give of leather In my hands and the way my virtual joints would buckle or release strain on my muscles was Indeed fascinating as I didn't even think It was fully possible to even emulate these minute sensations. This enlightening activity however did not go unnoticed by the players whom were adjacent to the **_Teleporter_** that I stepped out of just a few minutes ago, their smirks and jeers of amusement were hardly as subtle as they would have liked them to be as comments were brought about ranging from:

"You don't see that everyday.."

"F*cking first-timers.."

"Haven't seen beginner gear In ages..!"

'Guess they're not used to so much excitement'

I blandly thought Idly as I took my few steps over to the left-hand side railing of the walkway, my back to the railing that overlooking the slums faded down below and elbows that rested against the cool and all too alien-like metal that, unsurprisingly, gave me a chill despite being unable to see a single strand of hair on end on my forearms, which also Indicated that I had no visible pores on my skin to see weirdly, but that train of though was quickly diminished as I tilted my head back towards the smog-filled sky above, my eyes closing to gain a quick respite from the foreign landscape

"..At least the smell Isn't as bad as this place looks, grandiose as It Is"

"Surely, that's not the first obvious statement you've made all day now Is It?"

One eye lazily opened with a tilt of supressed curiousity as I saw a young woman shorter than my stature wearing a prominently pink jacket In addition to a white miniskirt that reached scantily to her mid-thigh along with a black tanktop that exposed her toned midriff and white latex style boots that complimented her accompanying pink and black stockings respectively, but what was more eyecatching than her questionably bold fashion statements were her deep cerelean-blue eyes that looked me over expectantly with a calculating certainty and that distinct tomboy demeanor she had along with the tone In her voice, By then I decided to oblige her fully with stark attention and push off the railing as to extend my hand forwards In greeting

"Nice to see you too..Kureha-chan. But color me surpised to see you In so much..pink. Anyways, I'll bite. How'd you know It was me?

The emphasis on her Avatar name and her choice of apparel as well as my playful mockery earned me a cross look of agitation and embarassment that had played out across her features as you can only do so much to hide your true emotions In Virtual Reality interestingly enough, her previously lax and expectant behavior turned to the defensive as she rested her hands on her hips and postured herself forwards

"O-Oi! Keep that tone out of It! It's still not cool what you did last night! And secondly, you know how much I like pink, It goes with everything! Finally, It's hard to not forget that dull and quiet demeanor you have going on Vik, It's you no doubt"

My hand returned to my side, my polite gesture rejected as l brought up another In further emphasis as I brushed off her embarassed state with a dismissive wave

"Oh? All I did was take a nice little break over this wonderful piece of railing and used the name of your Avatar that you just HAD to drill Into my head all last night, I know enough to stray from Taboos you know. That shade of pink's going to give me a headache..oh and besides, that face you made was priceless just now"

I nonchalantly replied even as she tried vainly to wring my neck with her hands at the last part of my sentence, which was pretty hilarious considering the whole tsun-trope that completely mirrored her behaviour, something which I obviously would never tell her If I valued my continued existence and also the fact that I shouldn't be able to fend her off to begin with because of her no doubt superior Strength stats compared to mine which have zero points allocated to any one of my stat parameters, nevertheless she let go begrudgingly, grumbling curses under her breath as she visibly tried to calm herself, she then began to take strides down the walkway with myself In tow as the wonderful and bubbly persona I've come to know now rising back to the surface as she looked to me In kind and said with the upmost sincerity

"I'm really glad you're here Vik, words can't express how long It's been and It's good to see some semblance of you again"

Despite the complete 180 In her attitude adjustment, I quickly recovered In kind despite the fact that she tried to vainly assault me In the Safe Zone we were In

"Mhm, likewise here; this world's bigger than Imagined and the air feels different than anything I've ever seen. I'll also count my lucky stars that I have you here to guide me around a bit"

She seemed to take that Into stride as she stepped forward Into my ongoing path to face me with something akin beaming excitement and assurance that made my breath catch

"Mhm! Mhm! Leave It all to me, I'll get you situated In no time, kay'?"

Sometimes, I can't help but to think how Insanely bipolar she has to be to make me rue the day she loses her shit towards me and smile as I hear her speak of great adventures Inside VRMMO's and her no doubt ludicrous day-to-day routine. But I smirked that smirk she knows In kind to her and Inclined my head In a slight nod

"I'll be In your hands then, thanks Kureha-chan. Oh, and It's Kaede. I thought I put In the right name for an Avatar.."

She shook her head quickly In amusement as she pulled me alongside a grand yet foreboding complex that looked akin to an office building or a residential tower as It was lined with numerous terminals at Its multiple entryways

"No silly, you're listed as Kaede. It's just going to take me a while to put that name to your face now, you just look so different than the last time I saw you before you took that trip overseas, even If you did a massive overhaul on your face there

Dismissing the snarky Insult she had no doubt attempted had I not mentally prepared my self beforehand I may have very well have tripped on air comedically as of that moment as I stiffened ever so slightly at the mention of my 'accident' at Saint Petersburg from that fateful day, fortunately I was able to steel myself In time and maintained a stoic poker-face which I quickly morphed Into a sheepish expression as to not arouse suspicion, I quickly relented as I waved my hands In front of my torso

"Y-Yeah, alot has happened since then and I guess It's nice to truly look different for a change..but not everything Is truly cosmetically different for me now, you know?"

She seemed nonplussed by my peculiar choice of words but became curious nevertheless as she peered at me Inquistively as she looked me over closely In a new light almost

"Wait, what do y--Wait, what the..?"

Her attention was, unsurprisingly, diverted to another Instance near us as a small crowd had began to form and was gaining rather rambunctious attention as the various female players whom were gathered rather closely around began closing In around a select Indivisual whom was, thankfully In his case buffered by a couple of understanding fellow males whom tried to keep those of the opposite gender off said Indivisual as arms were tangled trying to grasp at his fine coat armor that was laced with bandolier webbing at the waist and silken black locks of hair that were partially obscuring his features as It was parted to one side and fell to reach chin level. But my thoughts were Interrupted however trying to decipher whatever choice words were being thrown around the neighboring crowd as Kureha's gaze made a beeline to the owner of said attention as her eyes widened In recognition and I kid you not, her eyes were sparkling, fucking sparkling I mean where the hell did they come from? I've never seen such fuckery.

"Earth to--Well, I guess It's GGO to Kureha, hello? Anyone home?"

I waved my gloved hand Into front of her eyes slowly, my other shaking her shoulder slighty as I tried vainly to gain her attention as she spoke In reverence as to saying

"..Itsuki, It's really him! Oh Kami, sorry Kaede! That guy over there his name's Itsuki, he's one of the top ranked players In all of GGO; not to mention his fame as the leader of Alphard, one of the best Squadrons In the game, their players and skills are top-notch. They've few equals In terms of teamwork and know-how..Wow, I wish I can be just like him..!"

I'm not going to lie, hearing her gush over this pro-player and Alphard as a whole was concerning and a bit understandable In her case but, Kami, I can't the deny the sheer amount of determination In those great big sapphires of hers, like who would I be to tell her otherwise as of this moment and knowing her and her legendary bullheadedness, there's no doubt In my mind that she's working hard to reach and even surpass him. I mean, If he's as good as she says he Is, then In this world he'd be akin to a great wolf on the prowl for his next prey. An assumption that later on down the road, I'd come to find painfully true

"He's all that and then some huh? Well, I'll take your word for It for the time being but why don't you and say hi? Matter of fact.."

Sure enough, purposefully oblivious as I was to her rambling over her unimportance or his "busy schedule" for an Intrusion, I gave a loud whistle his way and met his form with a knowing smirk and steel that may have been akin to raging rapids In one eye and the unrelening fury of the ocean In the other from his perspective as he gazed on over yonder In my direction as his surrounding crowd was stunned slightly for them to be dispersed enough for him to step aside before he can be overtaken again by the female fangirls that spread around him, his dark mahogany brown orbs bore Into mine questionably, as If Intrigued by a potential plaything that was thrown Into his midst. He then quickly took the Initiative and walked on over despite the protests of his admirers and the harsh whispers of a newly-turned pink demoness next to me whom looked like she was about to spew hellfire and brimstone all about

'Hehe, she's uh..going to either kill me for this or.. yeah, probably just flay me alive for this'

I bemoaned to myself mentally as I prepared myself In advance for the thrashing I was bound to recieve sooner or later, preferably not today but alas, the Image of the she-devil was gone and had quickly reverted to her cheerful self as to not Intimidate her male Idol no doubt that was but couple feet from us with a nonchalant peace sign

"Yo', I should thank you In advance for the the save back there, they can be..pretty troublesome at times when I decide to step out once In awhile. It's not really my thing to tell them otherwise to begin with"

Another quick once-over told me more as his eyes were as sharp and as mischevious as one were gaze upon a coy fox or vagabond, his features light and almost androgynous as to his gender as he was no doubt Male, he was handsome as he embodied and typical bishonen look you'd see In animated culture, but I obliged him sympathetically nevertheless as I bridged the distance between us to give him an understanding smile, my hand extended outwards to clasp his and his shoulder In a slight squeeze

"One can only Imagine no doubt, name's Kaede, Itsuki-san. My um, friend here couldn't help but notice your particular dilemma and wished to meet you If It could be helped"

Despite my physical closeness he returned my handshake and greeting In kind suprisingly as he didn't seem too offput on the stimuli, his gaze turned to Kureha In a Inquistive manner as he gave her a once over as well as his unobscured eye seemingly twinkled In recognition as well

"Oh? Wait, you're Kureha aren't you?"

"Eh?"

His eyes practically twinkled in response, a contrast to the softening of his already angular visage as he reasserted her exploits

"You're a pretty well-known solo player you know. Always helping out low-level to mid-tier squadrons but never forming or joining on of your own. You've become a person of interest as of late."

His words while although humbling and straightforward was towards Kureha, I couldn't help but feel enlightened and emboldened at how far she's come in this world

 _'Heh, guess she's come a long way. And a step in the right direction, anyone would be proud of her for that but why doesn't she..'_

My warm thoughts were abruptly cut off by the now rebooted pinkette whom chose to bashfully deny and avoid said topics of her local deeds, her hands waving rapidly in front of herself, bashfully as her behaviour omitted a nervous chuckle and a bit of a sweatdrop from Itsuki

"No, really honest-"

"Now enough about that Itsuki-san, have you decided to enter into the tournament for today?"

My interest was peaked by that point as I didn't expect to start on an eventful day such this

 _'Guess I picked a hectic time to start playing'_

"Well, yes before I was unfortunately interrupted by those lovely ladies, what about you two? Hah~ Your friend here seems to have just started, he's wearing his beginner gear"

I chuckled nervously at the thought of my current predicament, my hand rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly as the direction of the conversation voided me until now

"Aye, yes. It's a first for me in a world like this, Kureha-chan was kind enough to help me out so it looks like I'm stuck with her for a bit"

He seemed to be pleasantly suprised and understanding at the aspect of my dilemma as he playfully put a fist to the top of my shoulder

"No worries, just take things one step at a time. The system here is dynamic and is constantly in flux but It's not much to get your head in the game and get the hang of, even the system assists your targeting aim"

I filed that tadbit on a later note, his words did good on placating my worries; a sure testament to leadership maybe

"Mhm, I'll be sure to keep my eyes open then"

I gave him a thumbs-up and a pat on the back for the tip, silently glad that he seems to be okay with physical contact even In between other men. A sentiment that my partner seems to have trouble grasping as our moment ends, she quickly diffuses it and wishes Itsuki some choice goodbyes as she moved me further along from his questioning form, a hand raised In a lazy salute/wave

"Take care of him Kureha~!"

As she moved us closer to some more choice shops joined together by some metallic alcoves and passages, she chose to whisper hurriedly into my ear

"What in Kami's name was that?!"

My arm while straining to let go of hers was held tight in a vice-grip as I tried to escape the certain tongue-lashing I was about to receive

 _'Yep, definitely played my hand too soon, she's gone off the deep end! Kami, why is her Strength stat working for her now?!_

"K-Kureha-chan! Your Strength stat remember?!

"Oh hush, you! We're in a safe zone remember? You can't take damage here even from another player!"

 _'...Why do I feel as if she abuses that rule greatly in cases like these?_

I thought in exasperation as she finally let go and crossed her arms In common tsun fashion, her sapphire blues boring into mine with narrow anticipation awaiting my answer, I sighed to voice my displeasure and my form seemingly folded just ever so slightly

"What do you mean? Well, regarding Itsuki he seemed nice and humble enough. You know that I'm a particularly affectionate person and I guess he was okay with that going by his attitude"

Now that isn't to say that I was slightly unnerved by his subconscious behavior and nuances before he spoke but I chose not to lay out those chips on the metaphorical table as of yet

"And I know you're like that but even with more reputable players, especially guys like him that you don't even know! It's a free-for-all outside the Glocken here, lucky for you him and his squadron are more legit and professional but many other squadrons act like mercenary guilds and contract groups that you may be more familiar with"

The thought made me visibly flinch, the direction that bordered on uncomfortable unbeknownst to her

"I know, I'm sorry. I thought you'd pay it no mind since you were the one gushing over the guy after all"

 _'Oh Kami wait-'_

"Quiet you! He's practically a celebrity around here and he's known by his professionalism and good looks so of course-"

"You said it not me"

 _'Hook, line and sinker Vik' '_

She groaned audibly away from my eyes. Oh wait, eye? No, eyes in this case, deep breaths were heard in her attempts to calm down and she faced me with exuberance once more

"So anywhoo', we need to get you some base gadgets, equipment, and a weapon maybe! First, open your menu and check and see how many credits you currently have"

"Oh okay then"

I murmured aloud as I swiped downwards with my right index and middle as my rectangular three-dimensional display came to life as my Status menu was the first to come forward, my credit count displayed In a corner prominently

"It says I have 6,000 credits here"

She looked visibly confused as she turned to look over my shoulder at my menu as well

"That's odd, beginners only start with a thousand. Did you already pay for more credit currency?"

Her tone more pointed as she no doubt didn't like the idea that I was paying actual money to forward myself In the game, my head shook rapidly to dismiss her concerns.

"No, no! That membership you gave me said that It came with some extra currency In addition to the hard copy of GGO, I guess that loaded In along with the software"

Her shoulders and her eyes visibly relaxed as she looked grateful that I didn't stoop to such methods, or least this soon into playing

"That's good at least, I was playing on lending you some to begin with to get you outfitted"

"Oh no, no! You don't have to! I'm sure I can earn whatever I can grinding through the dungeons or fields out here"

I practically shouted as I did not enjoy the idea of leeching even further off of her, and even more so owing a debt to her of all people

"None of that! It's fine really, I've been meaning to gift you something for awhile now and I've saved up a small fund for you" She said happily with fondness and thoughts almost visibly displayed in her deep blues, her hands quickly manipulating her holographic interface until a stray window appeared in front of mine that listed a trade request

"Wait a minute, 25,000 credits?! Mo-Kureha-chan, you saved up this much for me?"

She pouted quite visibly as she recognized that I almost went and dropped her IRL name

"Yeah you goof, of course I did and really, It's practically considered chump change at my level so just take it please"

Her tone quickly morphed from borderline confrontational to almost downright pleading, as she put her hands on my own to force me to accept the trade before I knew what I was doing, lost in her own emotions

 _'Why do I feel like I just sold my own soul..'_


End file.
